Pot-roasted chicken on a matignon, with a fond de poêlage sauce

Poelage, pot roasting: a large piece of meat is cooked in a deep heavy-bottomed pot with a lid, on a layer of aromatic vegetable garnish, covered with melted butter, in a medium oven. The lid stays on to hold the moisture, then comes off at the end to dry the surface and brown it.

The meat is cooked alone in the pot; the garnish served with it is made separately, and the sauce is made afterwards from the pan juices and the vegetables with added brown stock.

Cut the matignon paysanne: thin even slices of carrot, onion, celery and raw ham, all the same thickness so they cook and give up flavour at the same rate, with a twig of thyme and a bay leaf.

Melt 100 g of butter.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Starting with the pot cold, spread the mixed garnish in a thin layer over the bottom and add a little of the melted butter.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper outside the pan, then set it whole on the garnish.

Pour the melted butter over the chicken to cover it.

Put the lid on and cook in the oven for at least the first 45 minutes without looking.

At 45 minutes there is no browning and the vegetables are cooking gently in the butter. Raise the oven to 200 degrees Celsius, 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and cook at least another hour.

Finish with the lid off, under the broiler if wanted, five to ten minutes for colour.

Tilt the pot, catch the butter and coat the chicken with a layer of it before browning.

Pour off the excess fat into a container, leaving a thin layer in the bottom for the sauce.

In a separate pan, using butter from the chicken, gently pan-fry the pre-cooked green beans wrapped in little logs of pancetta. Serve with simple roast potatoes.

Thicken the brown stock with a little corn flour for a slight consistency.

After about ten minutes the chicken is browned. Take it out and rest it while the sauce is made.

Seize the juices in the pot over high heat to extract the flavour.

Deglaze with a little wine and reduce until one or two tablespoons of liquid remain.

Add the stock, reduce again a little, then strain and reserve. This is the fond de poelage.

Carve the chicken into four pieces, two breasts and two legs.

The sauce is light and runny, so spoon it onto the bottom of the serving dish and set the chicken on top, legs towards the outside, breasts inside, with the vegetable garnish.